ADN WINTER 2022_WEB

Secret Service returns $286 million in
fraudulent small business loans
The U.S. Secret Service returned
$286 million in fraudulently obtained
pandemic aid loans to the Small Business
Administration (SBA), according to
an August 29 CNBC report.
The agency announced that the funds
sent back to the SBA were obtained via the
Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)
program using both fabricated information
and stolen identities, the story said.
Around 15,000 accounts were caught
using Green Dot Bank, a fintech institution.
“Fraudsters in general are always
looking for ways and techniques to better
do their crimes and modern conveniences
are just one of those things they
use. So currently, cryptocurrency is a big
thing, fintechs, third-party payment systems.
But there’s not an institution, even
our traditional financial institutions, that
weren’t targeted during the pandemic,”
Roy Dotson, lead investigator for the Secret
Service, told CNBC in an interview.
Green Dot stated it was cooperating
and even partnering with federal agencies
to identify the culprits.
“Account protection and fraud prevention
are top priorities for us, and we
work around the clock and invest heavily
to identify, block and address fraudulent
activity. We’re committed to protecting
customers, and also to serving as [a] proactive
ally to government agencies and
industry peers as we work together to
prevent fraud,” Green Dot spokeswoman
Alison Lubert said in a statement.
While investigations are still ongoing,
there have so far been more than 400
indictments and nearly 300 convictions
related to pandemic fraud.
Since the pandemic started back in
March 2020, the U.S. government allocated
more than $1 trillion to “Main
Street” under both the Paycheck Protection
Program and EIDL program to help
small businesses stay afloat. “Reviews of
the two programs by the SBA’s Office of
INDUSTRY NEWS
Inspector General warned that criminals
would potentially exploit the system due
to the fast-moving nature of the rollout
and demand for aid,” CNBC reported.
The SBA OIG said it has identified
$87 billion of potentially fraudulent
EIDL loans. The Secret Service has so
far seized over $1.4 billion in fraudulently
obtained funds and has been able to return
approximately $2.3 billion to state
unemployment insurance programs.
Little Trees turns 70!
The air freshener company, made
famous for its tree-shaped ornaments
scented with ‘Black Ice’ (which launched
in 2004), ‘New Car Scent’ and ‘Morning
Rain’ aromas, is now 70 years old. According
to the company website, back In
1952, a milk truck driver in northern New
York complained to Julius Sämann about
the smell of spilled milk. To address this
issue, Julius combined exceptional fragrances
with specialized blotter material
and invented the first car air freshener.
He gave it the shape of an abstract evergreen
tree in honor of his years extracting
aromatic oils in Canada’s pine forests.
A 2012 New York Times article titled,
“Who Made Those Little Trees
Air Fresheners?”stated that In
1954, Samann filed a patent
for paper impregnated
with “odor-destroying,
air-perfuming substances,”
a cellophane wrapper
and a string to hang
it on. The string was a
necessity, he noted in his application,
because “the substances
are sometimes of an oily or sticky nature
or hard to remove from the hands.” The
accompanying drawing featured a container
holding a paper cutout
of the profile of a bosomy,
arch-backed pinup. But
Samann eventually
swapped out the pinup
for the pine tree.
“The reasons were
largely practical,” the
article stated, as the tree’s
conical shape allowed its
cellophane wrapper to be rolled
back slowly, from its apex down, so the
fragrance could be drawn out, branch by
branch. Judicious users could preserve the
pine scent for up to seven weeks.
The first fragrances included Royal
Pine, Spice and Bouquet. As the air fresheners
grew in popularity, so did its catalogs
of offerings. Based in Watertown, New
York, the company expanded and added
a factory in DeWitt, Iowa. The product
offerings grew to vent wraps, vent liquids
and sprays. Today, the company offers
over 60 different scents.
NRCC keynote speaker talks about hope, perseverance
It was another successful Northeast
Regional Carwash Convention (NRCC),
which once again took place at the Atlantic
City Convention Center, between
September 19-21, 2022. Hosted by the
New England Carwash Association
with Dave Ellard and John Shalbey Jr.
as co-chairmen, the tradeshow floor
was bustling the first day. With a pickleball
convention happening next door, it
seemed as if crowded conventions were
back to normal and people were swarming
the Atlantic City Convention Center
to once again mingle, network, get ideas,
and upgrades. One of the highlights of
the recent Convention was the keynote
address given by New York Times Author,
Travis Mills. Mills, who is famous
for writing Tough as They Come, is a retired
United States Army Staff Sergeant
who calls himself a recalibrated warrior,
motivational speaker, actor, author and
advocate for veterans and amputees.
Mills lost portions of both arms and
legs from an IED (improvised explosive
device) while on active duty in Afghanistan.
Mills’ road to recovery was not one
marked with sorrow or pity, or despair,
but instead humor, grace and determination.
“You cannot always change your
situation, but you can change your attitude,”
he told the packed crowd. Mills
and his wife Kelsey founded the Travis
Mills Foundation, a nonprofit organization,
to benefit and assist post 9/11
veterans who have been injured in active
duty or as a result of their service to
the country. He offered up the advice of
moving forward and being grateful that
you’re still alive and, to not dwell on the
past. Mills was kind enough to greet attendees
of the keynote address and even
answer questions.
Details for next year’s NRCC are
already being revealed. It will
once again take place at the Atlantic
City Convention Center, but
this time in October and will be
held from October 2-4, 2023.
VOL. 7, NO.4 • WINTER 2022 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 17